Fall Arts Preview: Films

Tuesday

Coming soon to a theater near you: Smart films or popcorn comedies, take your pick this fall

Coming soon to a theater near you: Smart films or popcorn comedies, take your pick this fall

Traditionally, we get the “smarter” films in the fall. And, yes, we’ll see a film about women in a Jane Austen book club, an Ang Lee film, and the follow-up to “Elizabeth.” But if your tastes are distinctly low-brow, Hollywood always has a film for you. This season will also produce the new “Resident Evil” film and two Dane Cook movies.
So check out this list and find the films for you. And, as always, release dates may change, and a few of these might end up going directly to video.

Sept. 14
“Across the Universe” — Director Julie Taymor leaves Shakespeare and Disney behind, and goes all hippie and trippy in a musical about young love in 1960s America, set to the songs of the Beatles.
“December Boys” — Four young orphan pals (one played by Daniel Radcliffe) go on holiday by the sea. When a family suggests they might adopt one of them, tensions rise along the long-tight quartet.
“The Brave One” —A woman (Jodie Foster) and her boyfriend are attacked. She loses him, vows revenge, turns into a vigilante. But a cop (Terence Howard) with plenty of emotional problems of his own starts up a friendship with her. Neil Jordan directs.

Sept. 21
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” — The gunslinger is played by Brad Pitt. The “coward,” a member of his gang, is played by Casey Affleck, who decides to kill the boss and take over … if he can.
“Good Luck Chuck” —A curse on a dentist (Dane Cook) gets him plenty of sex, but no love — everyone he dates finds true love right after breaking up with him. When he meets “the right girl” (Jessica Alba), he can’t figure out how to get her.
“Into the Wild” — Sean Penn directs Emile Hirsch in an adaptation of the true best seller about a guy who gives everything away, then hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. It’s not nice to challenge Mother Nature.
“Resident Evil: Extinction” — The third entry in the series again features Alice (Milla Jovovich) making her way through a devastated landscape, now fighting off zombies, killer birds and all kinds of nasty new creatures.
“The Jane Austen Book Club” — The tag for this unabashed chick flick is “What would Jane do?” It tells of six women in a Jane Austen-only book club who find that their own rocky relationships start resembling Austen’s plots.
“Virgin Territory” — A swashbuckling sex comedy with women firmly in charge of the various relationships, all set in the countryside of 14th century Italy, while the Black Plague wreaks havoc in the cities. Sounds like an original!

Sept. 28
“Feast of Love” — Life and love and hopes and dreams and laughter and tears and everything in between is played out among a community of folks in Oregon. With Morgan Freeman, Selma Blair and Greg Kinnear. Directed by Robert Benton.
“Lust, Caution” — Ang Lee’s new film is set in WWII Shanghai, where a young woman (Tang Wei) gets caught up in an assignment to kill a political enemy (Tony Leung). But wouldn’t you know it, love — or is it lust? — gets in the way.
“Run, Fat Boy, Run” — Simon Pegg (“Shaun of the Dead”) stars as a fellow who gets cold wedding feet, but realizes, years later, that it was a mistake to let her (Thandie Newton) go. To win her back, the now overweight guy must run a marathon.
“The Game Plan” — A fictional Boston quarterback (The Rock) is living the famous bachelor life, when he meets the 7-year-old daughter (Madison Pettis) he never knew he had from a former marriage. Cute kiddie hijinx ensue.

Oct. 5
“Finishing the Game” — Bruce Lee started filming “Game of Death” in 1973, but died before it was done. Years later, tasteless producers found a stand-in to finish the film. That part is true. This documentary about it is completely fake, and funny.
“My Kid Could Paint That” — Marla Olmstead is a 4-year-old girl whose hobby is abstract painting. This documentary follows her rise to stardom, and a challenge to her authenticity. But, umm, hasn’t anyone noticed that her stuff is awful?
“The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising” — Here’s hoping this isn’t simply Harry Potter-lite. Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) finds out that he’s not just a kid, he’s a warrior of the Light who must fight the forces of the dark. Lots of adventure and effects.
“The Good Night” — Unhappy Gary (Martin Freeman) is tired of his job and his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow), but is crazy about the woman (Penelope Cruz) who keeps visiting him in his dreams. His plan: to stay dreaming.

Oct. 12
“Dan in Real Life” — Steve Carell continues to show his diverse acting chops. He plays a widower and father of three girls who falls for a new women (Juliette Binoche), then discovers she’s the girlfriend of his younger brother (Dane Cook)
“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” — The follow-up to “Elizabeth” finds the Queen of England realizing her life is being targeted by the Spanish Inquisition. But she will stand and fight. Cate Blanchett reprises her role. Shekhar Kapur again directs.
“Sleuth” — A writer (Michael Caine) is visited by an actor (Jude Law) who wants to steal away his wife. The writer sets up a deal to make everyone happy. Deception sets in. Caine played the actor in the original 1972 film. Kenneth Branagh directs.

Oct. 19
“Gone Baby Gone” – Novelist Dennis Lehane’s sleuthing couple Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) make it to the screen when they reluctantly look into the kidnapping of a 4-year-old girl. Ben Affleck adapted the book and makes his directing debut.
“Margot at the Wedding” – Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is about to marry offbeat Malcolm (Jack Black), but her sister Margot (Nicole Kidman) pays a visit and throws doubt into everything Pauline does. A serio-comedy from Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale”).

Oct. 26
“Martian Child” – A widowed writer (John Cusack) adopts a young boy (Bobby Coleman) and gets together with a longtime pal (Amanda Peet) to form an unconventional family. Everything’s fine till the boy announces that he’s from Mars, and they begin to believe it.
“The Comebacks” – Watch out, it’s another one of those stories about a loser coach (David Koechner) who takes charge of a losing college football team and tries to win a championship. The good news: It’s a spoof of those other inspirational sports movies.
“Things We Lost in the Fire” – A mother of two (Halle Berry) loses her husband and her world falls apart. His best friend (Benicio del Toro) is having a rough go at life, and is invited to stay with the family so they can all heal. Will they fall for each other? I think so.

Nov. 2
“Bee Movie” – The newest DreamWorks animated film is about a college graduate bee (voice of Jerry Seinfeld) who meets and befriends a human florist (Renee Zellweger) and learns more than he cares to know about honey.
“Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten” – A detailed, chronological documentary about the late Clash frontman (nee John Mellors), taking in both his private and musical lives. With comments from his Clashmates, Johnny Depp, Matt Dillon, others.
“The Kite Runner” – Two boys grow up best of friends in Afghanistan, then one moves to America. Years later, finding out that his friend has been killed and his son kidnapped by the Taliban, he returns home to set things right. From the novel.

Nov. 9
“Fred Claus” – Santa’s younger brother, Fred (Vince Vaughn), is the black sheep of the Claus family. After his girlfriend dumps him, he moves back to the North Pole and continues his sibling rivalry with Santa (Paul Giamatti). Ludacris plays an angry elf.
“Lions for Lambs” – Robert Redford directs himself as an influential professor, Tom Cruise as a presidential hopeful and Meryl Streep as a TV journalist, all of whom get involved with a couple of American students who have gone off to fight in Afghanistan.
“No Country for Old Men” – In the new Coen brothers film, a man (Josh Brolin) finds a truck surrounded by dead bodies. Inside is a stash of heroin and a pile of money. He takes the money, then becomes the target of a mystery man (Javier Bardem) while a sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to protect him..

Nov. 16
“Beowulf” – The ancient man versus monster tale stars Ray Winstone as the heroic Beowulf, who is seduced with power and immortality the creature Grendel’s wicked mother (hissing voice of Angelina Jolie). Crispin Glover plays Grendel. From visionary director Robert Zemeckis.
“Love in the Time of Cholera” – In early 20th century South America, the lovelorn Florentino (Javier Bardem) loses the woman of his dreams, Fermina (Giovann Mezzogiorno) to a wealthier man. The Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel charts his half-century wait for another chance with her.
“Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” – Looking a bit like Art Garfunkel, Dustin Hoffman plays the owner of a magical toy store — really magical. He retires after a visit from a nosy accountant (Jason Bateman), and leaves it to wide-eyed store clerk Molly (Natalie Portman).

Nov. 21
“Enchanted” – After much spoofing by DreamWorks Animation in the “Shrek” series, the Disney folks now go after themselves in a live-action story of a fairy tale princess (Amy Adams) who is sent into modern-day New York by a wicked queen (Susan Sarandon)
“The Mist” – Stephen King adaptation expert Frank Darabont (“The Green Mile,” “The Shawshank Redemption”) now gives us King’s story of a Maine town that’s covered by a cloud of mist that is home to vicious creatures that may have come from a nearby army base.

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